Friday, 15 April 2011

And now for something completely different...

In my last blog I warned you that I might, at times, get technical. This is one of those times.
I'd like to dedicate this blog to a language that never ceases to amaze me. A gift from one Guido Van Rossum to the world in 1989 ,named after the laugh riot 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'. Now, over twenty years later, it is still growing strong with many developers around the world contributing to its development. I am, of course, referring to the 'Python' programming language.
When I first started tinkering with python, the first thing to catch my eye was that python code is inherently indented. Since all blocks are specified by tabbing them, the cluttered {...} protocol which so many contemporary languages implement is bypassed. Also, if you ask me, the only real requirement to be able to read python code is to be literate.I remember being able to understand what a code did before actually learning the language. Although I am tempted to prattle on about more details of python, I intend this post to be an introduction. You can download python from 'www.python.org' and experiment with it to your hearts content.
I'd like to end with something I picked up from a book on python which starts off with a couple of quotes which I really loved and wanted to share-

'A C program is like a fast dance on a newly waxed dance floor by people carrying razors.'
—Waldi Ravens
'C++: Hard to learn and built to stay that way.'
—Anonymous
'Java is, in many ways, C++– –.'
—Michael Feldman
'And now for something completely different . . .'
—Monty Python’s Flying Circus